Ten
by coolpearls
Summary: No one notices his eyes on her, and its better that way.


**Ten**

Sort of plotless…Sirius/Lily that ends in Lily/James. Short. One shot. Fun.

**i. **

Sirius watches, and he knows he shouldn't. Her red hair falls over her shoulders, over her chest, over her shirt. Her green eyes are bright, brighter when she's speaking to James, the color of grass. Her freckled legs move underneath her skirt and bounce up and down while she does her homework. Her hands move swiftly, jotting down word after word. They're sitting in the common room; he's partly hidden by shadows, she's lit up by firelight. No one notices his eyes on her, and its better that way.

**ii. **

James is happy with her. Sirius hates watching the two of them.

They share a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks. He touches her hair every now and then, his movements subtle. They play with each other's hands, their fingers somehow finally finding each other and entwining. During meals and in the common room and the library, they sit so their thighs or their shoulders are touching. Even though they're seventeen, they rarely kiss, even when they're alone after prefect meetings or in Hogsmeade, or at least that's what James says.

But James would tell him. James tells him everything. He wouldn't want to hear it, anyway, even if it was happening.

**iii.**

Eventually, James does start to tell him. It's not in detail – hell, they're not girls – but he mentions it when they're joking around, he makes stupid remarks during class, he tells Sirius she's a good kisser.

"It's kind of like jumping into the lake," James tells him once. "It's a bloody shock, and even though you know it's going to happen, it sends chills all up your body."

"You want to keep that to yourself?" Sirius asks, rolling his eyes. He has enough trouble keeping platonic thoughts about Lily as it was.

**iv. **

When Valentine's Day comes up, James goes nutters. He rants and raves about presents, ex-girlfriends, and candy. "Madam Puddifoot's would be a bad idea, wouldn't it?" he says.

"A horrible idea," Remus says. "Lily would hate it."

In the end, after hours of stressing out and James pulling his and his friends' hair out, he gets her a necklace and they have dinner in the Astronomy Tower. James gets back early in the morning, at least three, and Sirius is still awake, trying to think of his current fling rather than his best mate's girl.

**v.**

The spring air is fresh, and the smell of flowers is in the wind, blowing through his hair. Sirius is getting ready to fly when Remus comes unto the pitch, a worried look on his face. The news falls like a bomb, shattering their world. Remus brings him to their dormitory, where James has locked himself in the bathroom.

Lily stands outside of the door, looking worried, and, for once, Sirius doesn't notice her. He knocks on the door. Once James hears his voice, the door opens and Sirius goes in.

**vi.**

After the Potters' deaths, which were innocent and natural, many more follow, not innocent, not natural. There is an outbreak of Dark Magic and a new rabid group or murderers, now with a leader, and Andromeda tells him something about her sisters.

One night in the common room, during their last month at Hogwarts, Sirius sits by the fire, thinking. Lily walks to him, and she looks down at him.

"Are you all right?" she asks.

"Yeah," Sirius says. "James is in bed."

"I know," Lily says. She tilts her head, her hands fidgeting. "You've been sitting here for hours, Sirius."

The _Daily Prophet _loomed up at him with an image of green smoke in the form of a skull with a serpent coming out of the mouth, the new _mark_ of the dark wizards – the leader now called himself Lord Voldemort.

"I've been thinking about my brother," Sirius says.

Lily sits in the armchair next to him and touches his arm.

**vii. **

Sirius closes his eyes, running a hand through his hair. His breathing is shallow, but he tries to keep a handle on the air that comes in and out of him. His chest hitches, and he coughs. The voices are far away, blurred, but still too loud.

Lily comes, as she always does. "Please, don't," he says.

She ignores him, looking over his wounds. She sits him down in a chair and lifts his shirt up over his head. "Where's James?" he asks.

"Sleeping," Lily replies. "Don't talk. You need to concentrate on breathing."

"I'm breathing just fine," he says sourly. He passes out, the last thing before him her look of concentration.

**viii.**

James tells Sirius, Remus, and Peter first that he's engaged. His eyes are shining, and he fidgets nervously, thinking of his wedding day, only a month away. They agreed on doing it quickly. That night, Lily meets them for dinner, and her hair is curled, and she wears a pretty Muggle dress.

They dance, and Sirius watches them, even though he hates it. They're happy, smiling, kissing, laughing, talking. They belong together. Remus comes from the bar with two drinks. "I thought you'd need one," he says, holding one out.

Sirius downs the drink, and dances with a pretty blonde who introduces herself as Marlene McKinnon.

**ix.**

The night before the wedding, Sirius paces around before Lily's flat. He pauses, looking up at the night sky. He could be dead in one week. He walks forward and knocks. Lily answers the door, surprised to see him.

"I want you to love him," Sirius says fiercely, coming inside. He turned around and faced her. "I want you to promise me right now you're going to love him."

"I do love him," Lily replies, just as fiercely.

"Promise me," Sirius says.

She promises.

"Promise me the two of you are going to be happy," Sirius says.

She promises it.

"Promise me you're not going to leave him."

She promises that, too.

"He's my best mate," Sirius tells her.

"I know," Lily says.

"He deserves you," he says recklessly. "He's amazing. I love him more than people think. He'll protect you, and take care of you, and love you. The two of you will be happy together."

"I agree," Lily says.

The two of them stand there. Lily walks over to him and kisses him lightly on the lips. "You should get some sleep," she says softly. "It's going to be a long day tomorrow."

**x.**

The wedding is small. There is family, and a handful of close friends. The weather is perfect, and everyone is beautiful. James and Lily Potter, only nineteen years old. All of their friends, some younger, most of them older. This was the start of their lives together Sirius stands by James, watching the two of them unite to be one person. They both start crying and they kiss and then they light one candle together.

As Sirius walks down the aisle behind James and Lily, Lily's maid of honor Alice Longbottom at his side, he leaves all of it behind him. His reservations, his doubts, his fears, his immaturity, his foolishness, and he followed two of the people he cared about most.


End file.
